In veterinary practice the repair of a dog's stifle is a frequently performed type of surgery. To effect this repair, a pin is inserted into both of the two opposed bones of the stifle and a loop is drawn tight to keep these pins close together, thereby keeping the bones hinged together. U.S. Pat. No. 7,601,165 describes an apparatus that can be used for this purpose, but that is somewhat cumbersome and expensive. A simpler apparatus would ease the task faced by veterinarians. Also, various surgeries performed on human patients would benefit from a simpler apparatus for looping two pins together.